


Falling Like the Stars, Falling in Love

by jjaedoyu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, POV Alternating, Seven Days AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26193949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjaedoyu/pseuds/jjaedoyu
Summary: It was never his intention to fall in love. He just wanted to be adventurous for once. And also, to get Yuta and Jungwoo off his back with their matchmaking agenda.He didn’t expect to catch feelings this fast. Specially not with Jung Jaehyun.But it’s already here, and now he doesn’t know how to face it.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 24
Kudos: 249
Collections: jaedo digest: vol. 2





	Falling Like the Stars, Falling in Love

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT #035: jaedo seven days au. jung jaehyun is notorious for dating different people every week. kim doyoung, a little bored and adventurous, decides to give it a try.
> 
> Happy reading! ♡

_Monday._

“I told you, I’m not letting the both of you set me up with some random guy again.”

Doyoung sighs for the third time today as he continues to type into his laptop, not sparing his friends even a glance. He’s currently in the library with Jungwoo and Yuta, trying to finish his paper which is due this week for one of his electives. The couple is supposed to be studying with him, too, but by the looks of it, they are more focused on talking about his dating life than any readings at the moment.

“Not fair! Your date last night was all Yuta’s! Why am I banned from setting you up, too?” Jungwoo groans in protest.

Ever since he told them that he’s interested in dating again, the two have been constantly setting him up on dates with random guys. He appreciates the both of them, really, but unfortunately, they’re not the matchmaker couple they think they are. And after so many attempts from them, Doyoung decides to not let the two interfere in his dating life.

Doyoung finally looks away from his laptop screen and to his friends. He decides to might as well indulge them, seeing how he can’t really focus on his paper with them distracting him.

“Remember the last time you set me up?” He asks Jungwoo. “My mouth went dry the whole night because he keeps on talking. He didn’t even ask me anything. He just went on and on and on like he’s having a monologue or something.” He says before scrunching up his nose, the memory from the night coming back to him.

Jungwoo is about to say something, probably try and reason out what happened, but Doyoung beats him to speaking.

“Also, that time you set me up with that guy who turns out to actually like _you_ and only agreed to go out because he thought you were the one asking him out on a date.” He adds quickly to prove his point more.

The younger opens his mouth again, trying to come up with a reason but fails. Doyoung, satisfied that he has left the other out of words, gives him a knowing look until he gives in.

“Ugh fine, fine.” Jungwoo says looking all defeated, his natural pout showing as he speaks. “I suck at match-making. Happy now?”

“Not really. But at least I know you’re aware now.” He smiles at the younger. He’s about to go back to his paper, thinking that the two already understand him but this time it’s Yuta who speaks up.

“How are you even gonna find a boyfriend if you quit dating after only a few failed attempts?” the older asks which makes Jungwoo nod in agreement.

“Just look at him as an example,” Jungwoo’s face suddenly lights up as he stares way past Doyoung. He puckers his lips, trying to point at it and make Doyoung look. He turns around and scans the surroundings, not really sure who Jungwoo is pointing at. He feels the younger roll his eyes as he tells him to look at the person near the library’s entrance.

He sees the back of the guy he assumes Jungwoo is pointing at as the man walks towards the doors of the library. Together with him is a petite girl who Doyoung assumes is his girlfriend. He feels a sort of familiarity with the man, but he doesn’t realize who he is until he sees the guy’s side profile.

_Jung Jaehyun?_

“You know him?” Doyoung doesn’t realize he has said the name out loud until Yuta asks him.

“Uhh, yeah. He’s from the same department. We had a few classes before,” he explains but still doesn’t really get why they are suddenly talking about him.

“I wonder if that girl is the one that he’s dating this week,” Jungwoo squints as he checks out the girl beside Jaehyun. Not that he can see her clearly now that the two are already outside the doors.

“What does that mean?”

“I thought you guys know each other. Don’t you know what Jaehyun is famous for?”

Doyoung shrugs. “We only had classes before, doesn’t mean we’re the best of friends.”

“Well, to put it simply, Jaehyun is known for changing the person he dates every week,” Yuta starts as he fixes his glasses and clasps his hands together before settling it in the pile of notes and reviewers that are already long forgotten. “He literally agrees to date anyone who confesses to him first, but no one ever gets to date him for more than a week. He always breaks up with them on the seventh day.”

_Huh. Why though?_ Doyoung thinks.

"No one knows the reason why," Jungwoo says, as if he has read Doyoung's thoughts. "All he says is how he can't see them that way, so he breaks up with them."

Doyoung honestly didn’t peg Jaehyun to be the type to have dated so many people and on a short span at that. He admits, Jaehyun is a really good-looking guy and having lots of people confess to him is pretty much predictable but he always saw the younger as someone responsible and kind. Not really someone who plays with other people’s feelings like that.

“And you know this because?”

Jungwoo looks at him as if he’s asking something so obvious.

“Literally everyone in the university knows this. The real question is why you don’t know this! He’s even from your department and I’m pretty sure you know at least one,” he pauses and thinks, “no scratch that, you probably know at least 3 people who he already dated.”

“I’m sorry I’m not into university gossip, I guess?”

“Trust me, I know you aren’t.” Jungwoo says. “But really that’s not my point.”

Doyoung looks at him as if asking for the younger to go on. Jungwoo rolls his eyes and sighs. “My point is Yuta is right. You shouldn’t stop dating just because of a few failed attempts. Be like Jaehyun! Meet new people!”

"I never said I'll stop dating," Doyoung explains. "I'm saying I'm firing you from being my matchmakers."

"Uh, rude!" Jungwoo replies, looking slightly offended. "First of all, if matchmaking you is a job, then I should be getting paid by now. But I'm not so, this is called charity, Doyoung."

"Plus, it's not as if you can find someone to date on your own." Yuta adds in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "Remember, how we only tried setting you up because you keep getting dumped by the people you go out with?"

"That's not my problem, though.” Doyoung scrunches at the memory. “They were the ones who confessed first yet gets surprised that I’m not how they expect me to be."

He sighs. He really doesn't want to think about it right now. Yuta is right, all the previous times he dated someone on his own accord ended up with them breaking up with him. But in Doyoung's defense, what he said is also true. All his previous relationships started someone confesses to him. It's honestly fine for him, breaking up with them. It's not that it didn't hurt. Of course it did. But not to the point where he still want to hold on to someone who doesn't want him.

He still hasn't found someone worth doing that.

"You know what, whatever. I need to get some air. I'm gonna go grab us something to eat." Doyoung says as he tried and avoid the subject.

"You're running away again, aren't you?"

"What do you guys want?" he says, pretending he doesn’t hear Jungwoo's remark. Yuta sighs before telling him both his and his boyfriend's order.

"You think you can get away with it, but you know I won't let it go that easily, hyung!" Jungwoo whisper-yells at him. Doyoung just smiles at him as he grabs the notes Jungwoo has set aside and puts it in front of the younger.

"Go back to studying, Jungwoo." he says with a fake smile and a slight tap on the notes. He grabs his coat and wallet and walks towards the library doors before the younger can even say another word.

\-----

Luckily, there aren't many people inside the coffee shop since it's already mid-afternoon and the rush hour has already passed. So Doyoung directly proceeds to the counter and orders. He settles at the table near the entrance of the coffee shop right after as he waits for their orders to be prepared.

Doyoung likes people-watching. It's one of the reasons why he enjoys staying in places like libraries and cafes. For him, there is something so calming about observing people and his surroundings that makes him think clearly about his worries.

And today is the same, too.

He stares blankly outside of the cafe as he looks at the people passing by, trying to forget about what his friends have said earlier. They do have a point. How can he be in a relationship if he keeps on rejecting everyone who they try to set him up to date him? But on the other hand, is it really worth it to try and be with someone when you already know you're not interested in them?

His thoughts are interrupted as he sees a familiar face stop outside the cafe's entrance. He sees Jaehyun and the girl from before talking outside before what looks like the girl bidding Jaehyun goodbye before Jaehyun enters and walks straight towards the counter. He doesn't realize he was still staring at the younger until Jaehyun turns around and locks eyes with him. He gives him an awkward smile and Jaehyun smiles back as he walks towards Doyoung's table.

"Hey, Doyoung." Jaehyun greets him. "Can I sit here?"

"Uhh, sure."

Jaehyun mumbles as soft 'thank you' before settling on the chair right in front of him.

"Are you waiting for anyone?" Jaehyun says, trying to start a conversation.

"Not really." he replies. "I'm just grabbing takeout. Me and my friends are studying at the library."

Jaehyun nods in understanding.

"You?"

"Not waiting for anyone, too." Jaehyun chuckles. "Just grabbing a coffee before heading to class."

Even though he had a few classes with Jaehyun before, he realizes that this might be the first time they actually have a real conversation. He's still wondering why Jaehyun has approached him when the younger saw him earlier but didn't think much of it. Perhaps Jaehyun is just a natural friendly guy. Perhaps that's why a lot of people like him.

With these thoughts in mind, Doyoung wants to try and break the ice.

"So, the girl from before," Doyoung says, "is she the lucky one this week?"

Jaehyun looks at him confusedly which makes Doyoung want to retract his question. He mentally curses Jungwoo and Yuta for putting those thoughts in his mind.

"I mean, you know, the one you were with earlier outside. Is she the one you're dating this week?" He winces at his words. he's pretty sure he's not really in the position to ask Jaehyun about this. Luckily for him though, Jaehyun just laughs at him.

"You mean Naeun?" Jaehyun laughs softly and Doyoung thinks it has a nice ring to it. "No way. She's my lab partner. We met earlier to pass our lab report."

Doyoung nods in understanding. "So, who's the lucky person this time?" Doyoung doesn't really know where this bravery is coming from, but he feels like the awkward air has slightly disappeared, so he continues.

"As a matter of fact, there's no one." Jaehyun says, dimples peeking out of his cheeks as he smiles. "I'm actually surprised you know about this."

"I was told everyone in campus knows about it." Doyoung smiles. "And here I thought there’s already a line of people wanting to confess to you for the week."

Doyoung might only know about Jaehyun's dating life earlier but he knows way before that the younger is popular among everyone in campus. He assumes Jaehyun is already used to being the popular kid, getting all the attention around the room. That's why he is surprised when he sees a faint blush in Jaehyun's cheeks that is slowly crawling up to his ears when he said those words.

Jaehyun fake coughs to try and hide his embarrassment and Doyoung has the urge to tease him but he chooses not to.

"Says you," Jaehyun replies once he composes himself. "There's probably a lot more people going after you, hyung."

 _Hah._ Doyoung thinks.

He laughs at the statement, remembering the conversation he had with Yuta and Jungwoo earlier.

And that’s when an idea comes to his mind.

"Why not date me, then?" Doyoung replies with no bite to it. He just wants to see how Jaehyun would react.

He sees the younger's surprised expression and a blush slowly rising up to his cheeks. He really couldn't hide his emotions, Doyoung thinks. And before Jaehyun could utter a reply, they hear the barista as he calls Doyoung's name.

"Well, that's me," he smiles. "I have to go back to the library anyways. See you around, then?" Jaehyun nods at him as he makes his way towards the counter and grabs his order. He's about to head straight towards the exit when he hears the younger call him. He looks back and sees Jaehyun who's still in the table where he was sitting before.

"Will you be staying in the library for a while?"

"Yeah, I guess?" Doyoung replies even though he wonders why Jaehyun had asked.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you, then." Jaehyun smiles at him before going towards the counter to claim his order.

**\-----**

Doyoung finishes his paper a little later than he intended to. He could've finished it way earlier if only his friends have not been distracting him all afternoon. He mentally curses them and makes a note for himself to make them pay for it the next time he sees the two.

He yawns as he stretches out before grabbing his phone to check his messages and social media. Not that he expects any texts from anyone, but to his surprise, he sees a text from someone he didn't know would ever message him.

**Jung Jaehyun**

_Hey, are you still at the library?_

The last time Doyoung received a text from Jaehyun was a few semesters ago, when they became groupmates in one of their major subjects. And the only time they ever got to use it is, according to Doyoung's previous messages, when Jaehyun asked him what time their meeting is. Aside from that, they have no other conversation.

So, it's a complete wonder for him, why the younger just sent him a text right now.

**Jung Jaehyun**

_Yep. Just packing up. What's up?_

_Meet you outside._

Doyoung stares at the text confusedly. He gathers his stuff and puts everything in his bag before he stands up, double-checking the table before he goes. He walks straight towards the exit and the moment he steps out, he sees Jaehyun standing at the side of the stairs right outside of the library.

He walks towards the younger which immediately notices him and meets him halfway.

"Hey." Jaehyun smiles and at some point, Doyoung wonders if he ever gets tired of smiling.

"Hey." He greets back. "What brings you here?"

Jaehyun just shrugs. "Just wondering if we can go home together."

Doyoung eyes him in confusion. Jaehyun probably doesn't even know where he lives. Heck, he doesn't even know where Jaehyun lives.

"Where do you live, though?" he asks as he continues to walk down the stairs with Jaehyun tailing him.

"Uhh, west side of the campus?"

Doyoung halts to a stop when they reached the bottom. "I'm heading this way, though?" he says, pointing at the opposite direction from the path to Jaehyun’s place. He’s about to say goodbye when Jaehyun cuts him before he can even say a word.

"Let me walk you home then." Jaehyun pushes.

He looks at Jaehyun, trying to gauge in his phase what is actually happening. He wonders who in their right mind would actually go all the way to the opposite side of the campus just to walk him home.

It’s not like they’re dati– _oh._

“Hey, Jaehyun,” he halts to a stop which makes the younger stop a few steps ahead of him. Jaehyun looks at him intently, as if asking for him to continue.

"Are we dating?" he asks, realization dawning in him. 

He sees the younger’s face turns into a surprised looking one before he walks back closer to Doyoung.

"Well, this is awkward," Jaehyun laughs dryly. "Are we not?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"But you did ask me out earlier, right?"

"You never really gave me an answer earlier."

Doyoung waits for Jaehyun as he tries to come up with an answer but is failing to do so for a few seconds. He finds it slightly amusing how he left the younger speechless and flustered because of their situation.

Jaehyun composes himself before he looks directly into Doyoung’s eyes and replies, “Is it too late now to say yes?”

Doyoung finds it cute as he stares into Jaehyun’s hopeful eyes, waiting for his answer. He flashes the younger his cheeky, gummy smile and proceeds to grab Jaehyun's hand and intertwines it with his. He continues to walk, heading towards his apartment's direction, dragging a surprised Jaehyun with him.

"I'll do my best, then." he says looking straight, failing to notice the blush that's creeping on Jaehyun's cheeks.

_Tuesday._

Doyoung watches the surge of students pass by him as they rush towards the doors of the lecture hall. On a different class, he is usually among them, trying to make his way out of the room and onto his next one. Luckily for him though, this time, he doesn't have any class for the next few hours. That’s why he decides to leave the room a little later than usual and takes his time to edit a few of his notes from the lecture he had earlier.

He is onto his last few notes when his phone starts vibrating. He looks around only to realize that he's the only one left in the room. He grabs his phone, his lips turning into a wide grin when the screen lights up and shows him who the caller is.

 _“Are you still in class?”_ he hears the caller say the moment he answers the call.

“Just finished.” He replies. “What’s up?”

_“Let’s have lunch. Where are you right now?”_

“Lecture Hall 1 in Humanities Building,” he replies. "but I'll be out in a bit. Should we meet outside the building?" Doyoung says as he starts gathering his things scattered all over the table. He pauses when he gets no reply, only hearing deep breathing and static sounds from the other line.

“Jae, you still there?” he asks before putting his phone away from his ear to check if he’s still in line.

“Jaehyun?”

“Jung?”

“Jung Jaehyun?”

"Jae?"

"Jaehyunnie?"

He rollcalls whatever nickname comes to his mind as he continues to pack up his things, now trying to zip his bag with one hand, not letting go of the phone on the other. He gives up halfway and focuses on bugging Jaehyun on the other line, assuming he's still listening since he hasn't turned off the call yet.

“You know you’re the one who called me, ri–“

“Hey.” Doyoung’s words got cut off when he finally hears Jaehyun reply, followed by heavy breathing on the other line. He soon realizes that the voice doesn’t only come through his phone, making him look towards the doors of the room where Jaehyun is standing, catching his breath.

“Why are you here?” Doyoung looks confusedly at the younger who is now heading towards his seat. “Did you run?” the answer is obvious, but he asks anyways.

Jaehyun just smiles at him. He reaches out to Doyoung’s phone which is still against his ear.

“You can put this down already, you know.” he teases as he drops their call before explaining. “I was just outside the building. I had a class in the room across earlier.”

“You’re so clingy, we could’ve just met outside.” Doyoung rolls his eyes and Jaehyun just smiles at him. He takes Doyoung’s bag and zips it for him before he puts it on Doyoung.

“Do you not like a clingy boyfriend?”

“Not even in the slightest.” Doyoung replies without any bite to it. “Where are you taking me anyway?” he walks past Jaehyun, heading towards the doors.

“I told you,” the younger catches up. “to lunch.” And this time, it's Jaehyun’s turn to grab his hand as they exit the lecture hall. He drags him to god knows where, but Doyoung doesn’t find the need to complain about it. Instead, he catches up to the younger and adjusts their hands so that it's now intertwined.

**\------**

"Favorite movie?"

"Before Sunrise."

"Hm. Interesting. Hobbies?"

"Exercising, listening to music, watching movies or series."

"What about favorite color?"

"Black."

Doyoung frowns at that. "Is black really a color? Isn't that just the absence of light?" he genuinely asks which earns him a laugh from Jaehyun.

"Okay, then, blue, I guess?" Jaehyun replies as he leans back on his chair. "What's with all the questions, anyway? Is this some kind of a test?"

Doyoung just shrugs, taking a sip in his drink before he answers. “I just realized I never really know anything about you. Except for your name, your course, oh and, your phone number.” He says as he puts up a finger for every fact that he knows about Jaehyun. He frowns as he shows the younger his three raised fingers, as if emphasizing how few are the things they know about each other.

“But now I know that you’re an only child, you like a movie called Before Sunrise - which I haven't watched yet, by the way - you're also a gym kinda guy - actually pretty obvious - , and you also don't believe in ghosts. ” He continues to enumerate on his list, feeling satisfied that he actually got to use both his hands this time.

He looks up at the younger in front of him who hasn’t said anything yet. He notices the blush creeping in from his cheeks and further way up to the tips of his ears.

“Also, that,” he points at the younger who's waiting for him to continue. “You blush easily.”

And as if proving his point, Jaehyun's ears turns even redder as the younger let's out a whine, covering his ears to hide it. Doyoung just laughs at him, finding it so amusing to know this about the younger.

They continue chatting the whole time until Doyoung's phone starts vibrating. He checks on it and sees Yuta's message telling him that he's on his way to the class they're taking together.

"Who is it?"

“It’s Yuta,” Doyoung says as he sends his friend a reply. “I told him we should go to class together so he’s gonna come get me here.”

He looks up at Jaehyun when he didn’t hear an answer and sees the younger look at him with unreadable emotion.

Doyoung looks at him cautiously before his lips breaks into a grin. “Jung Jaehyun are you the jealous type?”

The statement makes Jaehyun’s ear turn red, making Doyoung chuckle. But before he could tease Jaehyun some more, he receives a message from Yuta again, saying that he’s already outside.

“Oops, it’s my cue to leave.” Doyoung says, grabbing his bag as he rises from his seat. “Sorry, I have to cut our lunch short. I’ll see you later!” he says and heads towards the exit of the shop onto where Yuta is waiting.

He receives a message the moment he steps out which makes him look back. He sees Jaehyun staring at him, pointing at his phone, mouthing for him to read the message.

**Jung Jaehyun**

_You’re right_

_I easily get jealous, so don’t cheat on me, Doyoung._

He laughs out loud, earning a questioning look from Yuta. Luckily, the older didn’t bother that much, also too busy checking his phone, probably texting his boyfriend.

Doyoung sends a reply, teasing Jaehyun again.

**Jung Jaehyun**

_I told you I don't like clingy people_

_but don't worry, I won't cheat on you_

_:P_

He looks back inside the coffee shop and sees Jaehyun looking down at his phone smiling widely. Their eyes meet when the younger looks up directly outside. Doyoung raises his eyebrow before sticking his tongue out at Jaehyun, making the latter laugh.

He waves one last goodbye before he catches up to his friend, who’s now a few steps ahead of him, too distracted to see the moment that just happened between the two.

Yesterday, Doyoung didn't really think much of it when they started dating. In his mind, he thought of it as simply hanging out with a new friend. Just getting to know him more.

But the way Jaehyun acted just now made him realize otherwise.

_He really is dating Jung Jaehyun._

_Wednesday._

“If I have the energy right now, I will fight you. And I mean physically fight you.”

Jaehyun hears the moment Doyoung opens the door to his apartment. He looks like he just got out of bed, seeing how he still has his bed hair, partnered with his big white shirt full of wrinkles, which Jaehyun actually finds cute. He doesn't say anything though, seeing how Doyoung is still glaring at him, probably annoyed that Jaehyun woke him up this early.

“Good morning to you, too.” Jaehyun smiles which makes Doyoung frown more. “Can I come in?” he asks as he hands Doyoung his drink. The older is about to say something in protest but gives up halfway and moves to the side to let him in.

“What are you even doing here, Yuno?”

Jaehyun feels his cheeks heat up but tries to hide it. It's something that he accidentally said in passing while they were talking on the phone last night. The older asked him why no one ever calls him by his real name and suddenly decides to call him Yuno which caught him off guard. But he didn’t actually expect Doyoung to continue using it. Heck, he didn’t even expect the older to remember it. Specially not now that he just woke up and is all grumpy. He thought that the older will just forget about it, given that they've talked so much about anything and everything last night.

He steals a glimpse at Doyoung and sees him check out the drink he just gave him, taking a sip once he’s sure it’s not coffee.

“I got you breakfast.” He says as he raises the paper bag he’s holding before settling it on top of the counter.

"Yeah, but why?" Doyoung asks again. He hears him mumbles something that sounds similar to _‘I don’t even eat breakfast.’_ , but the older still sits on the stool opposite to Jaehyun anyway, hands hugging his drink to get some warmth.

“Well, I have a morning class in a few minutes.” he sets a box of pancakes in front of Doyoung as he explains. "Plus, you told me you have straight classes today. You need to eat breakfast if you won't have time for lunch."

He settles on the seat opposite to Doyoung once he has set all the food out on the table. He notices the other staring at him, his chin on top of his drink, lips forming into a pout.

"What's wrong?" he asks when the older still doesn't say anything. It made Doyoung break the eye contact and transfer his focus on the pancakes in front of him.

"Nothing," he mumbles before he grabs a bite. Jaehyun watches him eat and realizes how he resembles a bunny as he chews.

"It's just that you really didn't have to, but thank you, I guess." Doyoung continues. He looks down, full focus on his plate and Jaehyun realizes how the older is trying to hide his blush.

Jaehyun is surprised to say the least. He has never seen Doyoung get flustered even before they started dating, though that's not really relevant since they barely knew each other back then. But seeing how it's Doyoung who makes him blush and flustered all the time, it's a nice change to see him the one at the receiving end of it.

“You’re welcome,” he replies. He stares at Doyoung for a few more seconds, finding the latter cute as he starts to eat his food. Jaehyun smiles when he realizes that his view of Doyoung right now reminds him of a bunny.

Doyoung looks up, probably feeling the eyes watching him, and frowns, “Stop staring at me. I thought you’re here to eat with me.”

“Has anyone told you that you look like a bunny?” he asks, ignoring the older’s statement earlier, but still grabs his fork and starts eating.

His remark makes Doyoung frown even more. “Yeah, everyone literally says that.” The memory makes him scrunch up his nose in distaste, but it only makes him look even more like a bunny.

“It’s cute,” he comments as he continues to eat. He feels Doyoung stare at him intently which actually makes him feel a little exposed. “W-what?” he stutters because of Doyoung’s gaze.

“Has anyone told you that your lips curl up when you eat?” Doyoung asks which makes Jaehyun a little conscious.

“Not really,” he says, now covering his lips as he chews. That’s when Doyoung finally lets out a chuckle, the grumpy, pouty, persona from earlier, slowly disappearing.

“Don’t worry, it’s cute, too.” he reassures him.

Jaehyun feels his cheeks heat up as they continue eating in comfortable silence.

Jaehyun initiates to clean up once they’re done, which Doyoung rejected, saying how Jaehyun has been doing everything already. So, he settles in Doyoung’s small couch as he watches the older clean up.

“Didn’t you say you have an early class today?” Doyoung asks, starting a conversation.

“Yeah, but I still have time.” He replies as he checks his watch, making sure that he isn’t late yet. “Besides, we won’t be able to meet later since I still have a meeting after my classes."

“Will it end pretty late?”

“I think so. It really depends on how cooperative my group will be.”

“Okay,” Doyoung says, finishing up on cleaning. “Just text me when you’re done, then.”

Jaehyun nods at him and gives him a smile.

Truthfully, it amazes Jaehyun how quick it is to create a dynamic with Doyoung. Yes, they did know each other way before they started dating but that was only on a surface level. They didn’t know anything personal about each other back then. That’s why he didn’t expect to be this comfortable with the older in just a few days.

There’s just something about Doyoung that makes him feel at ease, he thinks. It’s not even because Doyoung is a conversationalist. In fact, they don’t always need to have a conversation because even the silence between them is so much comforting for Jaehyun than in any other situation he’s been in with the people he dated in the past.

He doesn’t realize that he’s been lost in thoughts and is staring at Doyoung until the older waves his hands in front of him, trying to catch his attention.

“Jaehyun?” Doyoung says looking at him worriedly. “I was telling you to go to your class now or you’ll be late.”

Jaehyun checks his watch and realizes Doyoung is right. He quickly stands up and grabs his bag before facing Doyoung. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a nice day, Doyoung.” He says as he flashes the older a smile.

“Yep. Good luck on your classes, Yuno.” Doyoung teases that makes Jaehyun laugh as he walks towards the door.

Jaehyun smiles to himself. He heads to his first class thinking about how he can get used to starting his morning everyday like this if he could.

**\-----**

As he expected, the sun has already set when Jaehyun finishes his last meeting for the day. He’s heading out of campus and is planning to just grab a takeout for dinner when he decides to check his messages and send a quick text to Doyoung.

He composes a message as he walks, contemplating whether to ask the older if he already got home safely or he had dinner yet when he suddenly hears a voice speak up right beside him.

"Who are you texting that's making you smile that wide?" he halts his steps and looks up to see Doyoung standing on his right side. The older squints at him before he speaks again. "Are you cheating on me, Yuno?"

 _Yuno._ He still can't get used to it.

"What? Of course not." he denies quickly. "Wait, why are you still here?"

Doyoung eyes him harder as if trying to read in his face if his lying or not. A few more seconds and he drops his act, smiling widely at Jaehyun.

"Of course, you aren't," Doyoung chuckles. "Don't worry I'm not the jealous type." he says as he pats Jaehyun's shoulder.

"In fact, I was waiting for you." he continues.

Jaehyun looks at him confusedly. "I told you I'll be late today, though."

"Don't worry. I'm not asking you to walk me home." Doyoung looks at him cheekily. "I'm here to take you home this time." he explains, holding out his hand for Jaehyun to take.

Jaehyun tries to hide his surprise as he takes Doyoung's hand in his. There is a comfortable silence between them as they began to walk on the path heading to Jaehyun's apartment.

“You should really stop doing that, you know.” It's Doyoung who breaks the silence first.

“Stop what?”

“Doing everything for the other person and then gets surprised when they do the same for you.” Doyoung says, sincerity evident in his voice. “Dating is a two-way street, Jaehyun. You don’t have to do everything for me.”

The statement catches Jaehyun off-guard. He has his fair share of people he dated but not even once did he heard them tell him that.

Jaehyun is a giver. Some may even say he's a people-pleaser, which is true in some respects. For all the relationship he has been, he tries his best to give everything to the other person.

But tonight, Jaehyun realizes that Doyoung is a giver, too. He's the type to initiate conversations but not talk about himself alone. He tries his best to know more about the other person and remembers even the slightest detail about them. He does his best to make his partner feel special and taken care of. He doesn't want to just receive love and affection but is also very willing to give it back. Sometimes, probably even more.

He got so used to giving willingly because he wants to, but Doyoung made him realize that being on the receiving end is kind of nice, too.

_Thursday._

“Jaehyun? You’re dating Jung Jaehyun?” Jungwoo repeats as if he doesn’t believe it could possibly happen.

“Yep. I’m dating _Jung Jaehyun_.” Doyoung says, putting emphasis on every syllable in Jaehyun's name.

There’s a long silence that follows as the couple in front of Doyoung looks at each other before looking back at him, still with doubt in their eyes.

“I call bullshit,” Jungwoo claims. “I bet you’re just saying this so that we stop setting you up.” He accuses the older.

Doyoung rolls his eyes.

It’s not that Jungwoo is wrong, though. It’s not on his plan to actually date _the_ Jung Jaehyun, but one of the perks of doing so is that he has an excuse to decline all the guys Jungwoo and Yuta plans to set him up with. But they didn’t really need to know that, do they? All that matters is he’s dating someone now and is unavailable to go on stupid blind dates.

Plus, it’s not like he’ll be dating Jaehyun forever. It’s just like he’s taking a break from his friends’ matchmaking agenda for a week.

“Why is it so hard to believe?” Doyoung asks, pretending to be slightly offended.

“Dons, last time we saw each other, you didn’t even know about Jaehyun dating different people weekly.” Yuta says, trying to make a point.

Jungwoo nods in agreement and adds, “Plus, I don’t see you as the short-term relationship type. It just doesn’t fit.”

“Hey!” he protests.

“What? That’s a compliment!” Jungwoo replies, raising both his hands in defeat before he leans back to sit more comfortably on his chair.

“I really don’t care if you believe me or not, but Jaehyun’s joining us to lunch today so please be on your best behavior as much as possible.” He says before he checks his phone, expecting a message from Jaehyun.

It’s the younger who messaged him first earlier, asking him is he’s free for lunch today, but by the time he receives the message, he’s friends has already dragged him out of the campus with them. He was about to decline Jaehyun’s invitation when he realized that he could just ask him to join them. Which the younger happily accepts.

But now that he’s in this situation, he’s already regretting this lunch.

“Wha–” Jungwoo doesn’t even finish his words before he scoffs. “When are we even rude? We’re always nice to people!”

Yuta puts a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder before he adds, “Babe, I think he means not tell any embarrassing stories of him to his new boyfriend.”

Everyone in the table catches his teasing tone, but before Doyoung can reply (read: threaten), he hears a familiar voice behind his back.

“Hey,” he hears in a low voice and sees Jaehyun at his side when he looks up.

“Hey,” he casually replies before his brows curve into a frown, “You said you’d text me when you’re near.”

The younger chuckles, “Sorry, I came here as soon as my class ended.”

“You really didn’t have to rush, we just got here, too.” he replies.

Their little bubble disappears the moment they hear someone clears their throat, making Doyoung remember they have company. He looks back at his friends sitting in front of him, fake smiles present in their faces.

“Uhh, these are my friends, by the way, Yuta and Jungwoo.” Doyoung says as he points to each of them. “Guys, this is Jaehyun.” He adds, awkwardly pointing to the younger beside him.

The couple greets Jaehyun, who smiles brightly in return, dimples on both sides showing.

“Nice to finally meet you, Jaehyun,” Jungwoo smiles sheepishly. “I’d say Doyoung told us so much about you, but in reality, he only mentioned you about 15 minutes ago.”

Doyoung fakes a laugh, glaring at Jungwoo which the latter gives back with a shrug. “You should go order first, Jae. We already ordered before you came in.” he changes the topic as he taps the younger’s shoulder, urging him to get off his seat.

The younger easily complies, excusing himself from the conversation before heading to the counter.

“Okay, how did this happen?” Yuta immediately asks when Jaehyun is already out of reach.

"Doyoung, we told you to look at him as an _example._ We didn't say to actually date him." Jungwoo says, slight frustration evident in his voice. "We literally told you he never dated anyone for more than a week."

"I know that." Doyoung sighs. "It just happened."

“This doesn’t _just_ _happen,_ Doyoung.” Yuta says and Jungwoo nods in agreement. He’d find their team up cute only if they aren’t actually doing it against him.

But no matter what his friends believe in, what he said is actually true. He didn't really mean for it to happen. It was all just a spur of the moment. Doyoung didn’t even expect he’d be dating anyone at all by the start of this week.

Nothing about this is planned by anyone, but since he’s already roped in this, might as well enjoy it, right?

"Just," Doyoung starts, still trying to figure out how to convey his words properly. “Please be nice. Don’t bombard him with questions. Specially not about rumors about him.”

Doyoung eyes the two in front of him, trying to make them feel even just slightly intimidated. The both of them nods, Jungwoo even acting to zip his lips and throws an imaginary key away.

The moment Jaehyun comes back, the three of them are already talking about a whole new different topic.

Lunch with Jaehyun and his friends is going so much better than Doyoung has expected. It turns out, the younger has so much in common with Yuta and Jungwoo that they really jive well.

It’s not like Doyoung doesn’t trust his friends. Yuta and Jungwoo are two of the nicest persons among his small list of people he trusts, but they can still get a little overboard at times. He knows he’s only dating Jaehyun temporarily, but still, he doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable, specially not by his friends making a bad first impression on him.

But the opposite of that happened.

Jaehyun clicked so easily with Yuta and Jungwoo that it feels like they have been friends for a long time. Surprisingly, Jaehyun has the same humor as Yuta and has been enjoying the older’s stories and jokes the whole time.

As for Jungwoo, of course, Jaehyun loved him. It’s one of Jungwoo’s charms, Doyoung thinks. He’s always liked by anyone he meets because of his friendly demeanor and cute personality. And of course, Jaehyun isn’t an exception.

He observes as the three of them talk animatedly and suddenly, he wonders why he even thought that this lunch could not end well.

He smiles to himself still amazed by how Jaehyun easily fits into his small circle.

That’s when it all comes back to him. Suddenly, he’s reminded of the fact that everything with Jaehyun is only temporary. How their relationship has a time limit.

And somehow, that scares him.

It’s scary how Jaehyun easily enters his world, but also easily leaves it.

_Friday._

Friday went by like a blur to Doyoung. It’s has always been his busiest day of the week and this week is not any better.

He’s been caught up with classes all day and not to mention all the requirements he had to pass for most of them. Don’t get him wrong, of course he already finished everything way ahead of time, but as someone who wants to do well in everything, he double checks every requirement until the last minute. Which maybe the reason why he’s been extra tired today.

He was so busy all day that he didn’t even realize that the day is almost over without him seeing Jaehyun. Not even once. And he’s only reminded by it as he slumps on his bed, getting ready to get some well-deserved sleep.

He sighs. Now that he’s reminded by it, not seeing Jaehyun is all he can think about. And all the thoughts from yesterday suddenly comes back to him now.

He tries to ignore it, keeping it aside even just for the night. He still can’t pinpoint what he feels about the younger so he decides that he will disregard it for now and just enjoy whatever it is that they have between them.

He grabs his phone and decides to send the younger a message. He contemplates on what to say, suddenly wondering if it has always been this hard to compose a message when Jaehyun beats him to it.

**Jung Jaehyun**

_Did you get home safely?_

_Yep. Just got out of shower. You?_

_Kim, are you seducing me?_

He laughs as soon as he sees the younger’s reply. He rolls over, now stomach laying flat on the bed before he grabs his polar bear plushie, hugging it tightly. He rests his chin on the plushie as he bites his lower lip, thinking hard of what to reply.

**Jung Jaehyun**

_Lol, you wish._

_Haha, I’m kidding._

_Anyways, come open the door?_

The moment he sees the last message, Doyoung scrambles off his bed, trying to rush towards his door as fast as he can. He reaches it quickly, catching his breath for a few seconds before he finally opens the door, revealing Jaehyun at the other side.

The younger smiles at him. “That was fast.”

Doyoung looks at him questioningly, “Why are you here?”

“I brought dinner,” the younger smiles, raising the bag of takeout that he’s been carrying for emphasis. Doyoung eyes him before stepping to the side, creating a space which the younger takes as his cue to enter. He makes a bee line towards Doyoung’s couch and settles the takeout in the coffee table right in front of it.

“I see that, but why?” Doyoung asks again. He closes the door before walking towards where Jaehyun is settled. He observes the younger, amused as how he easily got comfortable in Doyoung’s apartment that no one will probably figure that it’s only his second time to visit.

Jaehyun looks up at him, eyes wide as if he’s asking something so obvious. “Because I wanted to visit the person I’m dating after a long, busy day.” He says in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. He shrugs before he continues, “Besides, it’s Friday. Isn’t it already given to spend it with the person your dating?”

“What?” Doyoung scoffs, trying to hide the fact that what Jaehyun said makes him feel a little giddy, “stop making up rules, Jung. Those are like, for ideal, domestic boyfriends. I, on the other hand, likes to sleep early on a Friday night.”

Jaehyun looks at him, his plump lips slowly thinning as it forms into a smirk.

“Are you saying I’m an ideal boyfriend?” he says in a teasing tone that makes Doyoung roll his eyes. He grabs the thing nearest to him, which is luckily just a pillow, and throws it at the younger which the latter easily catches as he laughs.

“You’re an insufferable boyfriend, that’s what you are.” Doyoung replies with no bite to it. “Do your exes know you’re such a tease?”

Jaehyun shrugs. “They really don’t care, I think.”

He looks away and starts to remove the takeout in its bag. The way he replied makes Doyoung think that he wants to drop the subject, so he did. Doyoung slumps back on the other side of the small couch beside right beside Jaehyun. He reaches for his bag just beside the couch and takes out his laptop.

“What do you want to watch?” he looks up away from the screen towards Jaehyun and sees the younger smile sheepishly at him.

**\-----**

Doyoung must have nodded off in the middle of the episode because the moment he opens his eyes, the ending scene is already playing.

He suddenly becomes aware of his surrounding when he realizes that he’s lying down, head positioned on Jaehyun’s lap as the younger plays with his hair. He slowly sits up, making Jaehyun aware that he’s awake now. He grabs the penguin plushie behind him and settles it on his lap before he looks up again at the screen.

“What happened to the movie?”

“They get married,” Jaehyun starts. “But the lady gets into an accident on her way to their anniversary dinner. Then she stays into a comatose for the rest of the movie, until she wakes up at the end.” he continues the story, pointing at the screen for the last part of it where they showed the couple with their kids sitting at the beach for the ending scene.

Doyoung scrunches his nose at that. “Typical. That’s like a pretty mainstream story.” he says, making Jaehyun laugh.

“I agree,” Jaehyun says, nodding his head in affirmation. “But it has some charms to it. It makes the viewers hope.”

Doyoung just looks at Jaehyun, slightly stunned to see another side of Jaehyun.

“You’re such a hopeless romantic.” He teases. “Now I get why your favorite movie is Before Sunrise.”

Jaehyun shrugs. “What’s so wrong about being hopeless romantic?”

“Nothing, I was just stating my observation.”

“Plus, Before Sunrise is my current favorite. But I have a long list of other movies that I like.” He says defensively.

Doyoung laughs at how serious Jaehyun is in proving his point but humors him anyway. “Okay sure. What other movies do you like then?”

Jaehyun’s eyebrows knits at that as he tries his best to come up with a good answer. “Uhh, I don’t know. High School Musical?”

He answers which makes Doyoung laugh out loud. “What are you, 12?” he gets to say between giggles.

“Rude,” Jaehyun responds. “That’s one of my best childhood memories.”

“Don’t worry, it’s mine, too. Until I realized that Gabriella and Troy stole Sharpay and Ryan’s spotlight when they have been performing almost all their life, while Gabriella and Troy have other things like science and basketball.”

“Now that you say it like that…” Jaehyun’s words falters as he accepts Doyoung’s point.

“Besides, Sharpay and Ryan’s versions of songs are way better than Troy and Gabriella’s.” he says. He starts singing Sharpay’s rendition of You are the Music in Me.

Jaehyun supplies the next lines and suddenly the two of them are singing a duet of the whole song.

They end up laughing halfway, realizing how much of a dork they both are that they still memorize the whole song. They began to tease each other, singing other songs from the series, trying to up one another which end up again with them into a laughing fits.

When their laughs start to slowly die down, Doyoung couldn’t help but stare at the younger, suddenly being aware of their close proximity.

“Hey, Jae,” Doyoung says, barely a whisper as he looks straight into Jaehyun’s lips. Doyoung gulps. He can feel his heartbeat loud and clear as if his heart is placed beside his ears. He feels nervous looking at Jaehyun like this. Being this close to him. But as soon as he looks at the latter’s eyes, everything becomes clear.

And before he can even stop his mouth from speaking, he hears himself as he says,

_“Kiss me?”_

The silence that follows is deafening, none of them dares to move for a second. Then suddenly, Jaehyun smiles at him, his dimples blinding.

And before he realizes, the latter already closes the gap between them.

It’s not the normal sparks fly or intense feeling seeping through him as they kiss. Instead of the fast heartbeat, kissing Jaehyun makes Doyoung feel warmth and comfort. As if it’s something where he should be. As if it’s something he’s been doing for a long time.

Kissing Jaehyun feels so natural that Doyoung thinks he doesn’t want to stop.

It isn’t even just the kiss. It’s the whole night that makes so much sense to Doyoung.

From the moment Jaehyun stepped into his place, Doyoung already felt how it became more of a home than just a lonely apartment.

_Saturday._

Jaehyun wakes up feeling a continuous light poke on his cheeks followed by Doyoung’s muffled voice as he tries to say something. He just grunts in response with his eyes still closed when he hears a hearty laugh right in front of him.

“Jaehyuuun,” he hears Doyoung whisper right above him, the older’s finger poking his cheek right where his dimple is supposed to be. “Wake up already~”

He doesn’t respond, trying to feel if the other will stop if he pretends to sleep, but the light pokes continue. Doyoung is determined to wake him up, but instead of doing just that, he blindly grabs the hands on his cheeks and wraps it around his waist as he pulls the older closer to him until they’re chest to chest.

“Stop poking me,” he says in a low voice when he finally responds. “It’s still early. Let’s sleep some more.”

He buries his face at the other’s shoulder and is about to head back to sleep when he feels Doyoung’s chest rise as he sighs. He starts wiggling his way out of Jaehyun’s hold, making barely a space between. Sadly, for Jaehyun, Doyoung succeeds after a few seconds, taking away the warmth which makes him pull the blanket up to his neck as he whines. He rolls over and buries his face into the pillows as he hears Doyoung scramble out of the bed.

“It’s already 9am. C’mon, Yuno. Get up.” the older drags the blanket out of the bed

“You were literally so grumpy last Wednesday when I woke you up. Why are you so energetic this morning?” Jaehyun says. He’s already given up on the chance of more sleep and is now sitting on the bed, hugging Doyoung’s penguin plushie as he rests his chin on its head.

“That was different,” Doyoung says heading towards the closet. “That’s in the middle of a weekday and I didn’t get proper sleep the night before.”

“Does that mean you slept well last night?” Jaehyun asks, trying to catch an unsuspecting Doyoung off-guard.

“You could say that.” Doyoung replies absent-mindedly as he picks something to wear for the day.

“Does that mean sleeping beside me makes you sleep better than being with all these plushies?” Jaehyun teases. He sees Doyoung freeze, back facing him.

The older fake coughs, trying to compose himself before he says something that catches Jaehyun off-guard.

“And if I say yes?” he asks, leaving Jaehyun a little red and speechless behind him.

Jaehyun wants to say something back, but before he could utter a word, Doyoung throws clean clothes his way, fully covering his vision.

“Enough with the cheesy lines.” The older says. “Go take a shower and wear those.”

“What? Why?” he holds onto the clothes as he looks at him confusedly. The older looks at him and smiles.

“Let’s go on an actual date.”

Jaehyun and Doyoung spent their whole day together.

They first went to a bowling alley. Jaehyun suggested it to an unsuspecting Doyoung, who had no idea that he’s actually a pro at it. It ended with Doyoung losing to Jaehyun twice, which made the older sulk, until Jaehyun comforts him, saying that he can choose the next place they go to.

Doyoung chose to go window shopping for the rest of the day and Jaehyun realized how the older loves shopping so much. They went to so many different stores, from clothes to gadgets and even home decors. It amazed Jaehyun how wide Doyoung’s knowledge is about everything.

And now, after an eventful day for the both of them, they decided to end the day with a walk inside their campus.

It’s another comforting silence between the two of them as they walk quietly side by side. The atmosphere clears Jaehyun’s mind of anything, the only thing that remains is his thoughts of Doyoung.

Don’t get him wrong, he enjoyed spending his whole day with Doyoung. But there are a few things different about the older the whole day. He noticed how Doyoung clings more to him today than any normal day. And how when he talked animatedly, he would catch the older staring at him longingly, his smile not reaching his eyes.

He feels like there’s something wrong that Doyoung doesn’t want him to know that’s why Jaehyun doesn’t want to say anything earlier. But now that the two of them are alone in a quiet place, he thinks that maybe he should ask him.

He grabs Doyoung’s hand, intertwining it to his before he gives it a reassuring squeeze.

“Is something bothering you?” he asks cautiously. He doesn’t want to suddenly step over bounds.

“It’s nothing, really.” Doyoung just smiles, still looking straight ahead of them. But Jaehyun doesn’t believe it one bit.

“If this is about me defeating you in bowling, I swear I’ll let you choose the activity next time,” he says to lighten the mood.

“Seriously, Jaehyun it’s not about that. Today was perfect.” Doyoung says looking at Jaehyun to show that he really means it. “But sure, maybe I’ll take you to an archery place next time.”

Jaehyun feels a little relief in Doyoung’s words. He wonders if maybe Doyoung just got tired from today, and he’s just looking too much into it. So, he drops the subject and tries to change the topic with a lighter one.

The two of them walk around the campus hand in hand, talking and bickering about anything under the sun and before they know it, it’s already almost midnight. Jaehyun offered to walk Doyoung back to his apartment, mostly because he still doesn’t want to part ways with him.

But Doyoung declines, “You should head home already and get some rest. You don’t really need to walk me home every time, Jae.” is what he says to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun knows that. He knows that he doesn’t need to walk Doyoung home, but he wants to. In fact, he doesn’t really want the night to end. But Doyoung is as stubborn, if not more, as he is.

“Okay,” he says in defeat. “Just text me when you get back, I guess.” he adds, but still not letting go of Doyoung’s hand.

Doyoung laughs heartily at how clingy Jaehyun is acting. Truthfully, Jaehyun has never shown anyone this side of his. He’s usually the composed one in the relationship, but with Doyoung, he can’t help but want to be taken care of.

“I feel like when I told you how I hate clingy people, you suddenly became extra clingy and bratty.” Doyoung teases, but it doesn’t affect him even a bit. Doyoung rolls his eyes when he sees how unbothered Jaehyun is. “Yeah yeah, I’ll text you when I get back.”

Jaehyun smiles at him and nods, finally letting go of Doyoung’s hands. “Okay,” he says brightly. “This is good night, then?”

Doyoung nods before he comes closer to Jaehyun, leaving a soft kiss on his cheek. “Goodbye, Jaehyun. Have a good night.” He says before walking away.

Jaehyun watches Doyoung’s back grow smaller as he walks further away from him, not daring to look back.

It makes him wonder. How there’s something so sad about Doyoung’s last words.

_Sunday._

“Babe, what’s Doyoung doing here?”

It’s the first thing Doyoung hears Jungwoo says as he goes out of his room, bee-lining his way towards the kitchen, to his boyfriend.

“I don’t know either,” Yuta whispers but it still reaches Doyoung. “He went knocking at 4 in the morning suddenly asking if we have ice cream.”

After parting with Jaehyun last night, he spent the rest of his time trying to sleep his thoughts away but failed miserably. He stayed up all night just thinking about Jaehyun and the past days he spent with him.

As cliché as it may sound, out of all the people he dated, Jaehyun is different. And it’s not just for the fact that their relationship has a time limit, it’s the way how he fits together with Doyoung.

All the times he spent with Jaehyun is amazing to say the least. From the times Jaehyun has walked him home, to their small conversations, to meeting his friends, to them spending their Friday night and the whole Saturday together, Doyoung remembers every single one of it. He remembers how he felt during those moments and how what he feels for Jaehyun grew and grew by the day.

Jaehyun is a man who’s easy to love, Doyoung realizes. He’s so easy to love because he gives all that he could for the other person, always prioritizing the other’s feelings before his. But more than that, Doyoung also found out that he’s a kid who wants to be loved. He has shown so much affection for the people around him that some might oversee it, but Doyoung didn’t.

Who knows, maybe the fact that Doyoung knows it’s only supposed to be temporary made him brave to do all those things, not realizing he’s actually been digging his own grave in the process. But now he has already fallen, and there’s no way to take all of it back.

He’s been thinking about all of these and before he knows it, it’s already the crack of dawn.

Luckily for him, Yuta opened the door for him and let him crash on their couch and even consume their ice cream. So now, he’s currently in his friends’ apartment, moping around, trying to find a way to hide from his reality.

Because yes, he has finally come to terms with his feelings but accepting that he has fallen in love with Jaehyun does not mean that he’s already ready for what’s coming for him. So, he decides to hide. He decides to run away from the fact that it’s his last day with Jaehyun because he’s not ready to get his heart broken.

He stares blankly at the wall in front of him when he hears footsteps coming towards him.

“Hey, Doyoung,” Yuta says quietly as he settles at the chair right in front him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” he says, voice cracking from not being used for hours. He realizes it may sound like he’s about to cry, and his friends might think of it too, but none of them say anything about it.

He sighs and grabs a spoonful of ice cream which he puts in his mouth in one bite.

Jungwoo sighs grabbing the ice cream from his hold before speaking up. “Hyung, I don’t think you’re okay.” He says as he puts down the ice cream on the table in front of them. “You look like someone who just got their heart broken.”

As soon as the words leave Jungwoo’s mouth, the couple shared a glance before looking back to Doyoung. They wait for him to respond, probably trying to see if he denies it or not, and when he didn’t, they took it as a yes from him.

“You’re in love with Jung Jaehyun!” Jungwoo exclaims.

It makes Doyoung wince when he hears those words from someone else’s mouth.

“I told you, you’re not the type who does short-term relationships.” Jungwoo scolds him. “I knew this would happen!”

Doyoung tries his best to control his emotions.

Of course, he knows he’s the one at fault. He’s the one who started all these in the first place. He’s the one who asked Jaehyun to date him. The one who broke the ice. The one who wanted to know Jaehyun more.

But he decides that Jaehyun has some faults on this, too. If only he’s not too kind. Not to caring. Not to giving. Then maybe, just maybe, Doyoung didn’t catch feelings for him.

All the things that happened the past week comes back to him which frustrates him even more. To the point where he doesn’t think he can control his feelings anymore.

So, he lets go.

“I know it’s my fault,” he says when he finally speaks up. “I’m in love with Jaehyun and it’s all my fault.”

There’s something so freeing when the words came out of his mouth that he feels like a weight is lifted off his chest. But those feelings didn’t last long as the flow of emotions comes running through him.

“I don’t know how it happened. I didn’t even mean to ask him to date me. I was just testing the waters, but then he agreed and so I did, too.” He lets out a sigh. “I wasn’t even serious at first. I just wanted to get to know him. Maybe make a friend while we’re at it. But then we started getting comfortable with each other. And it felt like I saw a Jaehyun that is not given justice by the rumors that surrounds him.”

During their time together, Doyoung saw so many other sides of Jaehyun. He saw the childish Jaehyun who whines when something else catches Doyoung’s attention. The cheeky, playful Jaehyun who would tease him nonstop to make him blush he moment something slips in his mouth. The Jaehyun that is so giving, that he doesn’t know how to act when he’s the one receiving.

He saw so many sides of Jaehyun in a span of less than a week, and he loves every single one of it.

“Then he came and spend his Friday night with me in my apartment and it was amazing. Suddenly, it’s not just a room where I sleep in. Suddenly, it felt like home. So many things happened, and he even kissed me–”

“Woah hold up. What kiss?” Jungwoo cuts in.

Doyoung groans. His shoulders slump, remembering the _kiss._ “We were talking and suddenly he was so close to me and then I asked him to kiss me and then we started kissing and it was perfect,” he says in one breath, his last words coming out as a whine. He leans back on the couch as he holds onto a pillow, hugging it tightly.

“It was perfect,” he whispers mostly to himself. “but it’s only perfect for me. And now I’m hiding from him just because I can’t face the fact that he’s gonna break up with him.”

He buries his face into the pillow and screams into it. He wants to let all of his frustrations go and forget the bittersweet memory of what happened that night.

It was never his intention to fall in love. He just wanted to be adventurous for once. And also, to get Yuta and Jungwoo off his back with their matchmaking agenda.

He didn’t expect to catch feelings this fast. Specially not with Jung Jaehyun.

But it’s already here, and now he doesn’t know how to face it.

Soon, he realizes the silence surrounding him which makes him look at the couple who’s supposed to be interrogating him. They are sharing a knowing look, as if having a conversation with only their eyes.

“What is it?” Doyoung says that makes them break their small bubble. “Just tell me what it is.”

The both of them look at him but didn’t say anything until Jungwoo nudges his boyfriend to speak up.

“Doyoung, Jaehyun he,” Yuta starts, trying to make out his words. “You know how he dates different people every week, right?” he continues which makes Doyoung more frustrated.

“I know that,” he lets out a whine. “You told me that even before we started dating. I know that and it sucks because I still fell in love with him.”

“It’s not that.” Yuta replies. “We told you about that, but we never told you about Jaehyun’s only rule.”

Doyoung looks at him, his eyes asking the older to go on.

“He agrees to date different people, yes. But he never gets intimate with anyone he’s dating. He never holds their hand. He never hugs them. He never kisses.” Yuta says.

“Not until you.”

And as if on cue, Doyoung’s phone vibrates again, showing a notification for a message from Jaehyun. His friends gave him a knowing look, Yuta grabbing his phone and handing it to him.

“I think you should talk to him, Dons.” Yuta encourages. “You won’t know what’s gonna happen until you face it.”

Doyoung sees Jaehyun sitting in one of the benches inside the campus where he asked the younger to meet him.

After his conversation with Yuta and Jungwoo, he finally found the courage to face Jaehyun. Not that he’s expecting everything to go well just because of what they said about the kiss, but it did give him courage to actually meet Jaehyun.

He knows it’s a long shot, but he’s willing to hold on to that small bit of hope.

Besides, he’s got nothing to lose.

He slowly walks up to Jaehyun, trying to calm his heart down before he reaches him.

“When does it end?” he asks quietly once he’s already in front of Jaehyun which surprises the younger.

Jaehyun gives him a confused look, silently asking him to explain. He’s probably surprised, finally seeing Doyoung but the first thing he did is ask him this.

“I mean, what time do you decide to break up?” he asks again, this time more clearly. “Does 5pm sounds good?” Doyoung adds, looking at his watch where it shows that there’s only 1 more minute until it strikes to 5pm.

Jaehyun refuses to say anything. He just looks at Doyoung, probably trying to gauge his emotions. A minute has passed with them just staring at each other, and Doyoung takes it a cue to speak up again.

“Can we break up now?” Doyoung asks. “Is it over now?”

“Do you really want to break up?” Jaehyun finally says as he looks at Doyoung’s face for a reaction.

“Isn’t that how it works? You break up with everyone you dated at the seventh day, telling them that you don’t feel anything for them.”

“You’re right.” Jaehyun says, his expression unreadable. “But I’m asking you if you really want to break up?” 

Doyoung looks straight at him. “The reason why we’re dating in the first place is because I found out that you only date people for seven days. I knew it was all temporary, so I wasn’t expecting anything from it.” He tries his best to hold his gaze but Jaehyun’s stare is piercing through him, so he looks down before he continues, “I don’t want to start a relationship from something that has a time limit.”

“So, break up with me now. Then I’ll confess to you properly.” He holds out his hand towards Jaehyun. “I want to make it right this time.”

At this point, Doyoung only hopes for it to go his way – for Jaehyun to agree and date him for real. But as he looks at Jaehyun, he sees the younger’s expressionless face turns into a frown, and suddenly, anger is evident in his eyes.

He puts Doyoung’s hands down, away from him.

“Do you know how scared I am the moment said you want to break up?” he says, and if Doyoung doesn’t know any better, he’d say that there are tears pooling at Jaehyun’s eyes, threatening to fall anytime.

Now that Doyoung realizes it, he can be pretty dramatic. He could have just confessed the moment he saw Jaehyun, but he even made the younger second guess his feelings for him.

The younger scoffs at him. “If that’s your reason, then no, I don’t want to break up.”

Jaehyun says as he releases a deep sigh, looking like a heavy weight if lifted from his shoulders. “I don’t want to start all over again. I don’t want to forget about anything that happened. From the moment you asked me out, until today, every single moment with you in these past few days became the foundation of what I feel for you right now. So, no. I refuse to break up with you and start over.”

Jaehyun says firmly as he grabs Doyoung, pulling him into his arms. He buries his head on Doyoung’s shoulder as he tightens his grip on the older’s waist. He feels Doyoung’s shoulders go slack as the older sighs in defeat, rubbing circles on Jaehyun’s back.

“Fine, you big baby,” Doyoung says trying to compose himself. “As long as we’re not breaking up.”

Jaehyun nuzzles Doyoung’s shoulder as an answer. “Don’t scare me like that ever again, Kim Doyoung.”

Doyoung laughs at that. He nods before leaning his head over Jaehyun’s.

It’s as if a huge weight has been lifted off him. He feels dumb for all the overthinking he did because apparently everything is for nothing.

“Wait, does this mean you love me, too?” Doyoung speaks up, he realizes that neither of them said those words yet.

Jaehyun raises his head, he adjusts himself as he hugs Doyoung tighter.

“I never intended to break up with you,” the younger starts. “I know everyone talks about it, you know, how I only date people for a week. But it was never my intention.”

Jaehyun’s voice starts getting quieter which makes Doyoung pull away from him, wanting to see the younger face to face.

The younger just smiles at him before he continues, “You said before that I’m a hopeless romantic, and perhaps that’s true. I dated people, trying my best to fall in love but it never happened. They were all the same, you know. They look at me like I was the ideal boyfriend. They already assume how I’m supposed to act even before we started dating and it’s tiring. The reason for all my break ups is because I can’t seem to break free from all their expectation.”

“They already have this image of how I should act, and I’ve always been scared of how they’ll react when they realized that I’m not the ideal guy they want me to be.”

Doyoung’s hands make its way to Jaehyun’s arms, slowly rubbing them to offer some comfort.

Jaehyun smiles back at him, appreciating the action. “But it was different with you. You see right through me from the very start that, honestly, I was caught off-guard. You were so aggressive, trying your best to break my façade. You were so curious, wanting to get to know me more.”

“Hey, I was trying to make a friend,” Doyoung protests, but the both of them knows there’s no bite to it.

Well, that was the goal at first, he thinks to himself. He didn’t expect he’d fall in love along the way.

“I know,” Jaehyun replies. “but it resulted to something different.”

Jaehyun stares at him for a few seconds that Doyoung felt like the younger has his face memorized by now. He flashes him a comforting smile, which Jaehyun flashes back, dimples present on both sides.

“You made me fall in love with you, Doyoung.” Jaehyun finally says. “I fell in love with you in less than seven days.”

Hearing those words come out of Jaehyun’s mouth makes everything so real to Doyoung. All this time he thought he’s the only one catching feelings, so imagine how relieve he feels right now knowing Jaehyun feels the same, too.

He pulls Jaehyun to a hug, burying his face on the younger’s chest.

“Aren’t you supposed to say it back, by now?” Jaehyun speaks up and even if he doesn’t see it, he can feel the younger smiling.

He raises his head up, eyes peeking at Jaehyun’s shoulder.

“I love you.” He says quietly. “I think I fell in love with you the moment you come knocking on my door that Wednesday morning. When you disturbed my sleep just because you wanted to have breakfast with me.”

He feels Jaehyun’s chest vibrate as he laughs at Doyoung’s words. Jaehyun holds him even tighter, as if catching up on the times he wasted not holding onto the older.

“I’ll do it more often then.” Doyoung smiles, hearing Jaehyun’s reply.

If you ask the past Doyoung, he will probably laugh at you and say that it’s impossible to fall in love in a short amount of time. He’d say it’s unnatural and that it won’t happen if you think rationally. But it hits different now that he’s in the situation himself.

He realizes how love is not defined by time, but by the person you are with.

Suddenly, he remembers how he’s been hiding from Jaehyun the whole day. The thought makes him regret his actions, thinking about the time that he could’ve spent with the younger instead of moping around on other people’s apartment. But he realizes that now, he doesn’t have to think about that.

No more counting. No more waiting for it to end.

Because now, they have all the time in the world for each other.

Not just seven days.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking of a jaedo au based on Seven Days the moment I read the manga that's why when I saw this prompt in JDD2, I took it as a sign to actually do it. So, to the prompter, I would like to thank you so much! I hope I gave your prompt justice! Special thanks to the mods, too, who has been very patient and approachable all throughout the process! <3
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this fic! Hopefully, this has made you smile even a little haha. Would really love to hear your thoughts about it! :)
> 
> [twt](http://m.twitter.com/jjaedoyu)  
> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/jjaedoyu)


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